A sans serif with simple geometric forms and predictably constructed characters, the First Prize typeface is moving in the direction set by Futura Display. The author found it interesting to add a calligraphic touch to this “engineer-style” typeface by introducing italic forms and swashes. First Prize includes two groups of 12 fonts each: one group with slightly narrowed proportions and the other one with narrow proportions. Three styles – normal, vertical italic and slanted cursive – can be applied to both groups. All italics are decorated with swashes on the lowercase letters and entry strokes on the uppercase ones. The typeface offers alternative options for A and N. As a display face, First Prize can be used as supporting in combination with any other typeface in projects of various scale.

Valery Golyzhenkov is a graphic and type designer, a teacher, a partner in the studio Letterhead, creator of the project Typoholic.ru and a member of the editorial board of the online journal ‘Shrift’. In 1998, with Yury Gordon and Olga Vasilkova, he founded Letterhead. His work has been honored at the Moscow Festival of Advertising, ADCR, Shrift and Grafit, a festival of alternative design.